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Displaying items by tag: Killaloe

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that in-river works for the construction of the Killaloe Bypass upper bridge superstructure are progressing as planned and will continue until October 2024.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the bridge is being constructed around 1km downstream of the current Killaloe–Ballina bridge.

A buoyed navigational channel continues to be provided for 100 metres either side of the in-river works.

The following plant and equipment will be operating on or overhead the navigation during the upper bridge works:

  • 600t crawler crane set up on the east shore
  • Stabilising crane barge (30m x 23m x 1.88m)
  • 100t crawler crane
  • Tugboat/pusher boat
  • Dumb barge (23m x 9m) and mobile elevated work platforms
  • Safety boat
  • Landing pontoon and gangways

From next Tuesday 2 to Friday 19 April, the final steel girders will be lifted into position in the central spans of the bridge.

This is a heavy lift operation and deemed high-risk work, requiring calm waters for operation of mobile elevated work platforms (MEWP) on barges.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed at slow speed (5 knots, no wash) with additional caution in the vicinity of the works, and to follow the instructions of the safety boat crew as there are hazards such as bridge piers, steel piles and mooring lines to navigate.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways thanks its customers for their cooperation in relation to these works.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that Uisce Éireann will be installing an outfall downstream of Killaloe and Ballina from next Monday 21 August to the end of September.

A work barge will be launched from the carpark adjacent to the Waterways Ireland building in Killaloe and will operate south of the bridge adjacent to the Ballina wastewater treatment plant for the duration of the works.

The outfall will extend from the Ballina plant into the river for a distance of 90 metres.

Two temporary special markers will be installed to mark the limits of the in-river works area downstream of Killaloe and Ballina. A permanent navigation marker will be installed when the works are completed.

Masters of vessels should proceed with additional caution in the vicinity of the works, adds the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that the in-river works for the construction of the Killaloe Bypass bridge continue to progress as planned.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the bridge is being constructed around 1km downstream of the current Killaloe–Ballina bridge.

Three bridge piers will be constructed in the navigation by December. The first 10 piles were installed on the east side of the river by early June with 10 more on the west side by late June.

Barges and piling moved from the west side to the centre of the river in early July and will be relocated to the west side of the navigation from Monday 7 August.

The crane barge will move to the east jetty and load out precast shells on Tuesday 8 August. It is intended to lift precast concrete shells into position on Wednesday 9, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 August. This is a heavy-lift operation and deemed high-risk work, requiring calm waters.

A buoyed navigation channel is being provided for 100 metres either side of the in river works, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed at slow speed (5 knots, no wash) with additional caution in the vicinity of the works and to follow the instructions of the safety boat crew as there are hazards such as steel piles and mooring lines to navigate.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that the in-river works for the construction of the Killaloe Bypass bridge are progressing as planned.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the bridge is being constructed around 1km downstream of the current Killaloe–Ballina bridge.

Three bridge piers will be constructed in the navigation by December. The first 10 piles were installed on the east side of the river by early June with 10 more on the west side by last week, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways confirms.

A buoyed navigation channel is being provided for 100 metres either side of the in river works. The barges and piling rig have now moved from the west side to the centre of the river as of Tuesday 1 July.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed at slow speed (5 knots, no wash) with additional caution in the vicinity of the works and to follow the instructions of the safety boat crew as there are hazards such as mooring lines to navigate.

Published in Inland Waterways

Tributes have been paid to 19-year-old Wassiou Ayawe, who died after an incident involving a jet ski in Killaloe on Wednesday afternoon (31 May).

As RTÉ News reports, the talented footballer died after he and two teenage girls were thrown into the waters of Lough Derg after the personal watercraft they were riding flipped over near Killaloe Bridge.

It’s understood that the two girls, who were wearing lifejackets, were able to swim to safety.

Colin Becker, former president of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland said: “Our sympathies go to the victim's family and friends.”

Published in Jetski
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Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that the in-river works for the construction of the Killaloe Bypass bridge are progressing as planned.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the bridge is being constructed around 1km downstream of the current Killaloe–Ballina bridge.

Three bridge piers will be constructed in the navigation by December. The first 10 piles have now been installed on the east side of the river, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways confirms.

A buoyed navigation channel is being provided for 100 metres either side of the in river works. The barges and piling rig will be operating on the west side of the river from Thursday 1 June.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed at slow speed (5 knots, no wash) with additional caution in the vicinity of the works and to follow the instructions of the safety boat crew as there are hazards such as mooring lines to navigate.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that in-river works for the construction of the Killaloe Bypass bridge commence Monday 17 April and are expected to continue for several months until December.

The bridge is being constructed around 1km downstream of the existing Killaloe–Ballina bridge.

Plant and other equipment that will be operating on the navigation during these in-river works include the following:

  • Jack-up piling barge, 22m x 17m x 2.44m
  • Stabilising crane barge, 30m x 23m x 1.88m
  • Piling rig, 85t
  • Crawler crane, 130t
  • Tugboat/pusher boat Tiger 2
  • Dumb barge, 23m x 9m
  • Landing craft
  • Safety boat
  • Landing pontoon and gangways

Piling will commence on Tuesday 2 May with three bridge piers being constructed in the navigation by December, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says.

A buoyed navigation channel has been provided for 100 metres either side of the in river works since Friday 14 April. The navigation channel will be to the west side of the barges/pontoons from Monday 17 April to Wednesday 31 May.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed at slow speed, with additional caution in the vicinity of the works, and to follow the instructions of the safety boat crew.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and waterways users on the Shannon Navigation that a series of events will take place in Killaloe next weekend (16-18 September) as part of the end-of-season LUA celebration of ‘wild water’ in the Co Clare village.

Friday 16 September will see the Lough Derg branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) hold its end-of-season celebration with commodores John and Sandra Lefroy and Matt Daniels with guest of honour Mayor of Clare, Tony O’Brien. 
                                         
In addition, Norma Manly and band will be in concert at St Flannan’s Cathedral from 8pm.

On Saturday 17 September, there will be a presentation by Gary McMahon, director of the AKA Ilen project on sailing in Irish and international waters for over a century. This takes place at noon in St Flannan’s Cathedral.

It will be followed by a presentation by Martin Cooper on the cathedral’s distinctive bells at 3pm, honouring Bryan and Betty Brislane.

And at 8pm there will be a special concert — Killaloe: a musical celebration — featuring Mary Donahue, Paul Fitzpatrick and friends. Proceeds will go to the Lough Derg Coast Guard and Killaloe Fire and Rescue Services.

On Sunday 18 September, Caroline Rainsford will host a special hour-long session of tai chi by the waterside from 9am, free and suitable for all abilities.

At 11.30am, there will be an ecumenical service at St Flannan’s that will include a blessing of the waterways and environs, followed by a presentation to Sandra and John Lefroy of the famed steamboat Phoenix as well as a closing celebration hosted by the IWAI’s Lough Derg branch.

Throughout the weekend, St Flannan’s will also host a special art exhibition from local artist Trish Taylor Thompson on the theme of the waterways.

Meanwhile, Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels that construction works have commenced on a new bridge across the Shannon Navigation around 1km downstream of the existing bridge in Killaloe.

A silt curtain has been installed in the navigation and construction works will be extending into the navigation over the next 12 months. Masters of vessels should proceed with additional caution in the vicinity of the construction works.

Published in Inland Waterways

The inland waterways will be celebrated at Killaloe next month, the quintessential waterways town on the River Shannon in Co.Clare.

Called ‘LUA’, it will be “a celebration of wild water at the ancient settlement of Killaloe, which is a gift of the Shannon, ” says Rev.Paul Fitzpatrick, Dean’s Vicar at St.Flannan’s Cathedral in Killaloe, who has designed the event “to explore our evolving engagement with wild water and how best to individually and collectively irrigate a more beneficial relationship with it, both culturally and environmentally.”

Rev Paul Fitzpatrick and members of his Killaloe congregationRev Paul Fitzpatrick and members of his Killaloe congregation

It will take place from Friday, September 16, through Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18, with an exhibition on the theme of waterways and the environment and a presentation by the Director of the AK ILEN project, Gary McMahon, about the restoration of Ireland’s last sailing schooner.

"Called ‘LUA’, it will be “a celebration of wild water at the ancient settlement of Killaloe"

Killaloe is “incredible with maritime history, rooted in the ancient and contemporary, revolving around the life and times of what is the treasure of the maritime and the inland waterways,” says Rev. Fitzpatrick, an enthusiastic boater on the Shannon himself.

Listen to him on the Podcast here

Published in Tom MacSweeney

BreakingNews.ie reports that a charity rower was left “shaken” after he was rescued from strong currents in the River Shannon at the Killaloe bridge.

Killaloe Coast Guard Unit were tasked at 2.40pm yesterday (Wednesday 25 September) to the scene where the rower had managed to secure his vessel to the navigation markers leading to the bridge.

The rescue team were with the rower within minutes and transferred him to safety while his vessel was taken under tow to the public slipway at Ballina.

BreakingNews.ie says the incident follows a “lucky escape” for three men last month whose lake boat collided with the same bridge.

Published in Rescue
Tagged under
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Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - FAQS

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are geographically defined maritime areas where human activities are managed to protect important natural or cultural resources. In addition to conserving marine species and habitats, MPAs can support maritime economic activity and reduce the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

MPAs can be found across a range of marine habitats, from the open ocean to coastal areas, intertidal zones, bays and estuaries. Marine protected areas are defined areas where human activities are managed to protect important natural or cultural resources.

The world's first MPA is said to have been the Fort Jefferson National Monument in Florida, North America, which covered 18,850 hectares of sea and 35 hectares of coastal land. This location was designated in 1935, but the main drive for MPAs came much later. The current global movement can be traced to the first World Congress on National Parks in 1962, and initiation in 1976 of a process to deliver exclusive rights to sovereign states over waters up to 200 nautical miles out then began to provide new focus

The Rio ‘Earth Summit’ on climate change in 1992 saw a global MPA area target of 10% by the 2010 deadline. When this was not met, an “Aichi target 11” was set requiring 10% coverage by 2020. There has been repeated efforts since then to tighten up MPA requirements.

Marae Moana is a multiple-use marine protected area created on July 13th 2017 by the government of the Cook islands in the south Pacific, north- east of New Zealand. The area extends across over 1.9 million square kilometres. However, In September 2019, Jacqueline Evans, a prominent marine biologist and Goldman environmental award winner who was openly critical of the government's plans for seabed mining, was replaced as director of the park by the Cook Islands prime minister’s office. The move attracted local media criticism, as Evans was responsible for developing the Marae Moana policy and the Marae Moana Act, She had worked on raising funding for the park, expanding policy and regulations and developing a plan that designates permitted areas for industrial activities.

Criteria for identifying and selecting MPAs depends on the overall objective or direction of the programme identified by the coastal state. For example, if the objective is to safeguard ecological habitats, the criteria will emphasise habitat diversity and the unique nature of the particular area.

Permanence of MPAs can vary internationally. Some are established under legislative action or under a different regulatory mechanism to exist permanently into the future. Others are intended to last only a few months or years.

Yes, Ireland has MPA cover in about 2.13 per cent of our waters. Although much of Ireland’s marine environment is regarded as in “generally good condition”, according to an expert group report for Government published in January 2021, it says that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are of “wide concern due to increasing pressures such as overexploitation, habitat loss, pollution, and climate change”.

The Government has set a target of 30 per cent MPA coverage by 2030, and moves are already being made in that direction. However, environmentalists are dubious, pointing out that a previous target of ten per cent by 2020 was not met.

Conservation and sustainable management of the marine environment has been mandated by a number of international agreements and legal obligations, as an expert group report to government has pointed out. There are specific requirements for area-based protection in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the OSPAR Convention, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Yes, the Marine Strategy Framework directive (2008/56/EC) required member states to put measures in place to achieve or maintain good environmental status in their waters by 2020. Under the directive a coherent and representative network of MPAs had to be created by 2016.

Ireland was about halfway up the EU table in designating protected areas under existing habitats and bird directives in a comparison published by the European Commission in 2009. However, the Fair Seas campaign, an environmental coalition formed in 2022, points out that Ireland is “lagging behind “ even our closest neighbours, such as Scotland which has 37 per cent. The Fair Seas campaign wants at least 10 per cent of Irish waters to be designated as “fully protected” by 2025, and “at least” 30 per cent by 2030.

Nearly a quarter of Britain’s territorial waters are covered by MPAs, set up to protect vital ecosystems and species. However, a conservation NGO, Oceana, said that analysis of fishing vessel tracking data published in The Guardian in October 2020 found that more than 97% of British MPAs created to safeguard ocean habitats, are being dredged and bottom trawled. 

There’s the rub. Currently, there is no definition of an MPA in Irish law, and environment protections under the Wildlife Acts only apply to the foreshore.

Current protection in marine areas beyond 12 nautical miles is limited to measures taken under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives or the OSPAR Convention. This means that habitats and species that are not listed in the EU Directives, but which may be locally, nationally or internationally important, cannot currently be afforded the necessary protection

Yes. In late March 2022, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said that the Government had begun developing “stand-alone legislation” to enable identification, designation and management of MPAs to meet Ireland’s national and international commitments.

Yes. Environmental groups are not happy, as they have pointed out that legislation on marine planning took precedence over legislation on MPAs, due to the push to develop offshore renewable energy.

No, but some activities may be banned or restricted. Extraction is the main activity affected as in oil and gas activities; mining; dumping; and bottom trawling

The Government’s expert group report noted that MPA designations are likely to have the greatest influence on the “capture fisheries, marine tourism and aquaculture sectors”. It said research suggests that the net impacts on fisheries could ultimately be either positive or negative and will depend on the type of fishery involved and a wide array of other factors.

The same report noted that marine tourism and recreation sector can substantially benefit from MPA designation. However, it said that the “magnitude of the benefits” will depend to a large extent on the location of the MPA sites within the network and the management measures put in place.

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